By Neil Doyle NORMAL – Former Normal Community football coach Dick Tharp, the school’s winningest coach with 158 victories, passed away Tuesday at the age of 90. Unit 5 made the announcement Wednesday in a social media post. Tharp was in attendance last week as the school renamed the football field in his honor. He spoke…… MORE
By Neil Doyle NORMAL – After a slow start Normal West (1-1) turned it on to score 48 unanswered points and defeat Big 12 Conference foe Champaign Central (0-2) 48-14. The Wildcats got a flurry of scoring, with touchdowns recorded by Quincey Jones, Jono Edmonson, Max Ziebarth, Jamarcus Webb, Lenelle Higgins and Damien Harris. It…… MORE
By Neil Doyle NORMAL – The Normal West Wildcats will look to bounce back after a loss week one as they welcome in Champaign Central on Friday night. Normal West head coach Nathan Fincham says O’Fallon was a tough opponent last week, but he is confident the team will be able to bounce back…… MORE
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – The Purple Raiders won’t have a game Friday night but they will pick up a win as Urbana has forfeited the remainder of its season. Bloomington coach Scott Godfrey said they found out late Monday night that Urbana was going to forfeit the remainder of its varsity schedule. “We felt…… MORE
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – The Ironmen of Normal Community used the strong play of senior quarterback Chase Mackey to defeat Intercity rival Bloomington 35-0. Mackey accounted for four touchdowns, three passing and one rushing. NCHS senior running back Michael Coleman rushed for a touchdown as well. “The thing I liked about our team is…… MORE
By St. Louis Cardinals Communications ST LOUIS – Busch Stadium, home to the 11-time World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals, will host the inaugural Saints Gala presented by Centene Charitable Foundation on Saturday, August 28, benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. The event will honor the commitment to the patients and families of St. Jude in the lead up…… MORE
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – The Friday night lights are back as a fall high school football season returns for the first time in two years. Week 1 features a long time Intercity rivalry as Normal Community visits the Purple Raiders of Bloomington. It will be our main game on AM 1230 WJBC, FM 102.1…… MORE
The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that they have agreed to terms with premier franchise catcher Yadier Molina on a one-year contract for the 2022 season. Financial terms were not disclosed.… MORE
By St. Louis Cardinals Communications ST LOUIS – The St. Louis Cardinals, in conjunction with Major League Baseball’s league-wide release, today announced their 2022 Spring Training schedule. The team’s 30-game Grapefruit League slate is set to begin on Saturday, February 26 when the Cardinals travel to take on the Houston Astros. The club’s first home game…… MORE
Things will look a little more Normal at Illinois States’ Hancock stadium this year after the stadium was empty last year due to COVID-19.… MORE
By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …
By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…
By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…
Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…